Down with the Sickness
by Anniepopokios
Summary: After a strange disease hits the sound village, everyone is being quarantined, including the sound trio and Kabuto. Now they are left to rot in a world wrought with the rancid stench of disease,suffering simply because they live. Can they survive?
1. Drowning

**Annie: Okay, you know how I'm always trying to be angsty in my stories, well here's my big shot at an angst story so I hope I don't completely fail. I wanted to write something about Kabuto and the sound trio because they are my favorite characters, so I looked back on the first Fanfiction I ever wrote( a dumb story not even posted on this site) and took the idea sort and changed it into this. This is one of my really long song fics that I seem to write all the time…hee… the songs called "Down with the sickness" and it my favorite song by the band Disturbed because if anyone agrees, most of their songs sound the same, but this one has a totally different sound to it. So anyways, I hope you like this story and I know some people might seem a bit out of character but let me clear this up before we begin, I am not the creator of Naruto, therefore I do not understand the characters to the last final detail and cannot truly decide who acts which way because I did not create them. Oh great, now you're probably not gonna read my story cause you think the people are way out of character but they're not so just read it. **

**DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS**

**Summary:** After a strange disease hits the sound village, everyone is being quarantined, including Kin, Zaku and Dosu who supposedly have this strange sickness. Now they are left to rot in a dark world wrought with the rancid stench of disease and pain, suffering simply because they live. Will the shadows of death dancing around them finally engulf them into darkness, or can they survive long enough and still hang unto their wits while doing so?

**Dedicated to: **Insanity rise

**Disclaimer: I own this story, but I don't own Naruto so yeah my life sucks… just kidding I'm fine!**

**Chapter one**

_**Drowning deep in my sea of loathing, **_

_**Broken your servant I kneel…**_

Everything seemed so silent and quiet in the sound village, but that empty silence was normal and no one had yet noticed, that something was dreadfully wrong. Dark clouds were rolling in from the west, brining with them a shower of freezing rain to pour down on the village, sending its drops of despair into the hearts of all who watched them fall. Everyone was jolly still, locked up inside their tranquil homes, sitting at their fireplaces and telling stories and such, no one noticed what was happening because no one seemed to care. People are like this, too caught up in their own dreams of a happy world to believe that it isn't indeed, what you might call happy. Furthermore, as the rain's fell from the blackening heavens, the simpleton moods each person had set into their hearts ceased to fade.

Shadows crept around the village, silently feeding of the light and destroying it, letting the black night sink in over the sky, even the moon's thin rays of light could not pierce this power, it's strings of hope blocked to by the thickening clouds over head. This was to be expected in fall, the rains would roll in and soon it would turn to snow, covering the whole world in its white sheets that looked so friendly, but were far too dangerous to comprehend. And through all this treacherous rainfall, a figure stumbled on and on into the black.

He cursed and scoffed under his breath, the words mixing into the whispering winds, creating their own unheard melody as he struggled to take the tiring steps forward. The falling rain's struck him from everywhere, covering his body in a feeling of cold and misery, stinging his eyes and making him feel as if he was drowning in a river he could not escape, simply being pulled farther under as more precious moments seeped by, in the cold. He scolded himself for not dressing warmer though he hadn't expected this rain, he should have been more prepared, and this was just foolish. Kin had told him not to go to town, she'd told him that she could run the errand. And secretly, he had really wanted to stay back in the warm home of Orochimaru, but out of his vague fear of being thought of as weak, he had told her no. He knew her own pleadings were only done out of pity and it made him burn inside knowing that people pitied him.

That was when she brought it up again, the thing he loathed the most, the one little detail, the one little incident that he wished he could erase from his past s that his future would be less painful. When the words had escaped her mouth, he'd felt her tone sting through him like knives, slicing through his heart and pushing him into a black world of nothing but misery and torment, one that was impossible to climb out of.

"Dosu, you look so sick," Kin had told him," you're not well, you shouldn't travel." Those were the words he'd been hearing out of everyone's mouth's lately, including Kabuto, who seemed to never want anything to do with him. No one ever supported him it seemed, everyone was always against his foolish actions, but they never got their way with him, he never gave up. He tried to be brave, tried to ignore this hot flushed feeling that seemed to flow through his veins every waking moment. At first, his head had just hurt a little bit, a mere head ache, he had told Kabuto when he noticed him cringing, but he hadn't believe that. Then the pain had begun to get worse and soon, he was sweating more often, his entire body feeling dehydrated all the time, and he wouldn't eat, staring down at his food like a person might an empty plate and then pushing it aside.

Zaku had had so much fun picking on him, mocking him and even sharing those insults with Kin though she hardly seemed to care. He'd say that Dosu had finally noticed how fat he was and was now trying to lose it all, but that wasn't true. Dosu wasn't fat and that was obvious, in fact, he had lost weight in the last month. More than he should have, his ribs now sticking to his skin like a dying animal might their last meal, the skin red and sore from all the extra pressure. If he hadn't have worn his rain poncho every day he would have never been able to hid it. He'd been avoiding their normal health check ups every weak from fear of some saying something.

Truthfully, it wasn't that he wanted to be all sad and hurt, but that was the way he felt and that feeling of depression wouldn't go away, no matter what he did. Food tasted bitter in his mouth, laughing was impossible and no matter what he did, he felt like he needed to hide everything.

After what seemed like ages in the cold rain, he pushed open the door to Orochimaru's secret lair, relief flushing over him as he slid into the warm corridors. As soon as he heard the door click behind him, he sunk to the ground, his entire body feeling drained of all the energy and strength he had worked so hard to achieve. He felt like he might faint, and as he struggled to stand up, his knees wobbled underneath him, not holding the power they needed to function properly. If he hadn't have been so content on no one seeing him, he would have dropped back down and went to sleep, but instead he began his tiring walk back to his room.

"Dosu!" He suddenly jumped, hearing a familiar voice behind him as he turned around to see Kin standing behind him.

"Did you get the groceries?" she asked, paying no attention to his tired looking figure, his rain poncho and bandages hiding any look of pain that he held.

Dosu shook his head, remembering the whole reason for that dreadful trip to town. All the stores had been closed when he'd arrived.

"I guess we won't be eating a very good dinner then," Kin sighed, disappoint edging its way across her face as Dosu turned around again, facing the open hallway, he disappeared into the shadows as Kin just stood there, waiting him trying his best not to limp and failing miserably.

---

Dosu: Why did you have to make me all angsty?

Annie: Because I am the writer and I am the one with the laptop computer so yeah I can type whatever I want!

Dosu: GIVE ME THAT! (Steals laptop from Annie)

Annie: DELL! GIVE HIM BACK! (hits Dosu with big squeaky monkey toy that has goggley eyes) HA!

Point of this talk: No one touches Dell cept me! So if you do prepare for a beating with a purple monkey! Please review so I can feel happy and buy more monkeys! I also need a prooffy reader! DANCING SPINACH IS THE BEST! DANCE SPINACH DANCE!

Dosu: o.0


	2. Sickness

**Annie: Chapter two come sup the same moment as chapter one so you people can get a bigger dose of the story before I go see pirates of the Caribbean 2 with my family. While writing this I was listening to "Jillian" by: Within temptations( ever realize that I listen to them a lot) and I was wondering if anyone knew were I could download the mp3 because I would really enjoy it if you told me! Anyway back to the story. It's starting rather slow and I am sorry for that but you know how things are with stories. I tried to be descriptive and I pray you don't think I failed. Hope you enjoy the story!**

**Chapter two**

_It seems what's left of my human side  
Is slowly changing in me_

Sighing with dread and misery, Kin quietly fixed herself of coffee, hoping that the dark liquid could warm her up a little. A ping of sadness still lingered inside her from when Dosu had informed her that he had not come back with dinner, but she knew there wasn't much she could do, and besides, she wasn't that hungry anyway. Lately they'd been needing to run out and get some groceries but it always seemed like Orochimaru picked the worst times to send someone, so their cabinets remained empty. So coffee would be her meager dinner.

Letting another tired sigh escape her lips, she slouched in one of the chairs next to the kitchen table, too bored and tired to do much else. It seemed like the rain always made her feel sleepy, and watching it fall across the kitchen window, wasn't helping her stay awake. Therefore, her eyes darted to the steaming cup of coffee sitting on the table in front of her. For some reason, she just didn't feel like drinking it, watching the wispy strands of steam slowly rise out of the cup and disappear into the air. Her head hurt slightly, almost like she'd been struck with something, she sighed and rubbed it with one of her cold hands, puzzled why she might suddenly feel this way.

"It's just a headache," she told herself softly as she picked up the warm mug with her hands and took a sip of her coffee.

All through out the hallway's of Orochimaru's lair, there was silence, nothing lingering in those empty corridors, except darkness and dust. However, one noise did ring out above this dark nothingness, the noise of a pen scraping down letters on pieces of old paper. The holder of this tool, frantically trying to get the words jumbled down unto the piece of white paper in front of him. Sweat rolled down his face, leaning forward in his chair, his face was barely inches above the ink covered paper, his eyes running down the paper quickly, reading every word silently to himself.

Kabuto was lost in his endless sea of paper work, again, forgetting completely of the world around him as he read over his work, preparing to copy it down on another piece of clean paper, just incase something was to happen to the original. Lifting his pen over the paper, he was about to begin another grueling hour of late paper work when he heard someone bang their fist against the door. He looked up quickly, wondering who it could be. Much to his surprise, he found the weary figures of Dosu and Zaku standing in the doorway. Zaku had a scared look on his face and Dosu looked as though he was going to fall over and die. He leaned against the shivering Zaku, a stifled groan escaping him. Kabuto raised on eyebrow, eyeing the boy's with confusion.

"wha-" his voice was cut off as a sudden plea sounded from Zaku, his face filled with dread, the color completely drained, his face resembling a deer in the headlights.

"Dosu," Zaku said in a shaky voice, perspiration dripping down his face," I found him in the hallway, he just collapsed!" Zaku wailed, his eyes darting to the groaning ninja leaning against him, his one visible eye shut. Kabuto just sat there, the same dumb look on his face as Zaku as the boy's eyes pleaded for help. His body felt like it would give in at any moment, Dosu's weight adding unto his and making it hard to stand, his knees shaking and his throat dry.

"Help me get him to his room!" he barked, impatient at Kabuto's delay to aid him in his struggle. Shaking his head, Kabuto pushed his chair back and sat up, quickly rushing to Zaku's side and taking the limp body of Dosu in his arms. Zaku let out a small sigh of relief; a great weight lifted off his shoulders as Kabuto straightened his back and pushed past the otonin standing in his doorway. He cursed under his breath, mad at Zaku for interrupting his work but even madder for being given this pathetic excuse for a ninja. He found himself not even the least bit concerned with Dosu, hating the boy from the deepest pit of his heart for doing something so simple as destroying the barrier he set up around himself when he did his paperwork.

Zaku hastily walked behind him, feeling a great deal of concern for his battered team mate and wondering what might have caused him to just collapse in the middle of the hall like that. It scared him to think that there might be something going on around here that none of them had any knowledge of. Dosu hadn't told him or Kin anything so what could possibly be wrong? They were supposed to be a team, were they supposed to tell each other about these things? He stared guiltily down at his feet as he walked, a small idea suddenly popped itself into his head, one that he wished hadn't come to mind as he remembered the mean way he'd picked on Dosu lately, maybe that was why he hadn't said anything. He silently degraded himself for being so stupid and childish, mad that something he did might get him into trouble if Kabuto figured it out. However, the man seemed too engulfed in his own thoughts as they walked and for once Zaku was thankful that he didn't say anything as they trekked through the shadows and finally reached Dosu's room.

Kabuto kicked the door open with so much force that it nearly split off the hinges, his sudden groan of rage making the boy behind him jump with surprise hoping he wasn't the next one to get kicked. Kabuto's temper was sometimes a lot like Orochimaru's; one spark could light the fire's of rage stored deep down inside them. Moreover, Zaku feared some of that rage might get taken out on him, but as Kabuto entered the dark room, he hardly seemed intent on bloodshed, his face looking calmer now.

"Light a candle," he barked his orders to the shaky boy in the doorway as he set Dosu down on his bed gently and glared at Zaku, impatient for the task to be completed. Zaku fidgeted with a match in his hands and hastily light a candle, the small flame flickering into existence, vanishing the darkness to hide only in the corners of the empty room. He felt Kabuto's eyes glaring at him as he lit two other waxy candles, the lights filling the room with their luscious aurora as he threw the match to the ground and stumbled over to where Kabuto stood.

The silver haired medic quickly tore off Dosu's sound village headband and put his hand on Dosu's forehead, sighing with dismay as he received the answers he'd dreaded since Zaku showed up in the doorway only minutes ago. The skin underneath, felt hot and flushed, sweat rolling down the ninja's face and soaking into his bandages.

"He's burning up…" he said, a tone of sadness cutting into his voice, enough to puzzle Zaku.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked like a scared child, the dread in his eyes flickering like the reflections of the candles surrounding him.

---

Kin: IT'S OFF TO THE THEATER! I WANT TO SEE ORLANDO!

Annie: Okay, but since It's a drive in movie I get to sit in the front of the car!

Zaku: NO FAIR!

Dosu: I don't care….

Long silence….

Kin: What's wrong with you?

Dosu: The dust bunnies under the bed sucked out my brain and replaced it with jello

Kin: o.0

Annie: REVIEW! DANCING SPINACH!

Kin: spinach………( cowers in corner) spinach…..


	3. Changing

**Annie: sorry this is such a short chapter, but not much could happen, but don't worry, the next one will be longer. Now I must talk about what happened when I went to see pirates of the Caribbean 2 last night. Tillitah, as sneaky as she is, managed to show up without me or Insanity rise knowing so we got to enjoy the movie with her! It was a drive in movie so we sat on a blanket under the stars, though it was hard to see the screen actually showing the movie because how far away it was! I have to admit that we really only watched the first and last part, we paid no attention to the middle! And guess what? Me and Insanity rise are going to write a story about "Ninja's of the Caribbean!" I'll give you a cast list at the end of this chapter so read fast!**

**Chapter three**

_Looking at my own reflection  
When suddenly it changes_

"I don't know, but I think he's sick…" Kabuto sighed with dismay, staring down at Dosu's pale figure and feeling a bit of pity towards the hurt boy, wondering how long he'd been like this.

"With what?" Zaku solicited, his face looking perplexed, still stunned that something could be going on around here that they knew nothing about," could it be contagious?" suddenly his voice sounded choked as he took a few shaky steps backwards, glaring at Dosu like he might an enemy. Kabuto was silent, not a word escaping him, the medic lost in his own world of thoughts. He paid no attention to the figure in front of him as Dosu slowly began to drift back into the world, his puddle of black finally escapable. A small groan escaped his lips, his entire body filled with a sore, tired feeling as he looked up, his one eye having trouble adjusting to the new lights flickering around him.

"Kabuto?" he asked weakly as the lights began to dim and he could just barely make out the man's details, he could see Zaku too, cowering next to the wall, his knees shaking that a scarred kitten. He wondered what could have made them both look so alarmed.

"Nice to see you're awake," Kabuto said flatly, his voice hardly sounding thankful. Dosu moaned as he tried to sit up, invisible forces weighing down on him so much that he couldn't lift this own weight, all he could do was lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, wishing his visitors would just leave him alone.

"Are you feeling alright?" Kabuto asked suspiciously. At first no answer came, Dosu had prayed he wouldn't have asked such a question, but his luck had run out and he didn't know what to say, so instead of explaining things he just put it bluntly.

"No," trying to sound reassuring, he almost laughed but his chuckle was bit back by a wave of pain, streaming into his weary body and shooting up his spine, making his lower lip quiver. Kabuto only sighed, his voice filled with anguish as he watched Dosu trying his best to act like he wasn't hurt, but it was plain to see, he was in pain.

"You don't look alright," Kabuto inquired, making Dosu grit his teeth, silencing out the scream he was about to make.

"I'm fine," he sounded funny, the noises barely able to escape through his teeth," you can leave now." That was a nice way of saying get out, and, trying his best to be nice and taking pity on the pained ninja, Kabuto grabbed Zaku by the shirt collar and lugged him out of the room. The door clicked behind them as they left Dosu alone to wallow in his own pool of misery, just the way he'd wanted it.

"What are we going to do ab-" Zaku tried to ask as Kabuto drug him down the hallway, his grasp on the boys shirt hard and rough, making him forcibly take the steps forward.

"I'll figure it out in the morning," Kabuto snapped, silencing Zaku's voice before he could even finish his sentence," I'm tired and I'm going back to my paperwork."

Zaku stared at him angrily, a sudden rage beginning to burn inside him.

"You mean you don't care what happens to Dosu!" He almost screamed, the only thing keeping his tone low the fear of being yanked forward again.

"No," Kabuto growled," I'LL FIGURE IT OUT IN THE MORNING!" Those angry words were enough to keep Zaku silent, Kabuto's voice sending icy chills down his spine as he drug him down the dark, empty hall, the only noise heard was the thudding of Kabuto's shoes hitting the ground as he walked.

"Here's your room," Kabuto said as he let go of Zaku, the boy falling against his bedroom door as he felt himself freed," Now get some sleep and stop bothering me!"

Kabuto barked as he continued his walk, leaving Zaku alone in the darkness, shadows the only thing around him as he slipped into his room, still shaky from what had taken place earlier.

Kabuto did his best to push the thoughts of Dosu to the back of his mind as he pushed his door open, feeling as if all his strength had been sucked out of him as he blew out the candle still burning on his desk and flopped down on his bed. He was too tired to finish his paper work now and besides, he was already so far behind that it hardly mattered how much time he wasted anymore. He would let that bother him tomorrow. The many papers lay in a scattered heap around his desk, some of them still needed to be copied down on other sheets, while others needed to be completely rewritten, others were simply useless and needed to be thrown away, but he hadn't got to that yet. He was dreading tomorrow, realizing that now he had a sick ninja to deal with and mountain loads of paperwork piling up all around him.

It seemed like with every passing day, his life got more and more stressful. Why pretty soon he was sure he would go insane. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what might e wrong with the sound ninja. He had been acting strange lately, but surely it was nothing too serious. Once again, he pushed those thoughts out of his head, wanting to do nothing more than fade into a peaceful sleep, but it seemed like even when he closed his eyes, he wouldn't find the gates to that realm open to him. Moreover, he was et with nothing more than darkness as he opened and closed his eyes, the blackness around him giving him an uneasy feeling as he sat up in bed.

He shook his head, too many thoughts swirling around him to let him disappear into that simply world, the place he longed to visit. His droopy eyes fell back to where the many papers lay on his desk and he somehow found himself sitting up and approaching the messy desk, sitting down in his chair and lighting the half dead candle with a match he found in one of the drawers.

Yawning slightly, he took one of the ink pens in his hands and stared down at the papers in front of him, reading over the work. He was tired but he couldn't sleep, not until he got some of this paper work done and even though he knew tomorrow would be a big day, he just didn't care. He began scratching the pen down on the paper again, his handwriting only readable to himself as he yawned countless times.

"I'll think about Dosu tomorrow," he sighed to himself, his world slowly beginning to dim as the only thing he became focused on was his paper work, ignoring the tired feelings engulfing his body as he kept scribbling words down on the paper, intent on finishing a few more sheets before he tried to sleep again.

However, he never finished that first page, his pen rolling unto the floor as he felt his eyes close and darkness grew all around him, the dim light from the candle nothing but a haze in the shadows as he drifted off into the world of dreams. His head falling against the desk as he began to forget all about what had happened today, nothing mattering to him as he let himself drift into the shadows…

---

Kabuto: that was cool but I'm here to talk about the upcoming story "Ninja's of the Caribbean!"

Cast list:

Elizabeth Turner: Tillitah( a character all our own that we think should have been in Naruto, she's a wolf girl, but more will be explained about her later! You'll find out that she is also in my Naruto 2 story! And we're not sure if we're gonna post the first story we wrote about her here or not)

Barbossa: Orochimaru

Will: MY KABUTO! YEAH!

Jack Sparrow: Dosu

Noorington: Sasuke

Bootstrap: Jiraiya!

The two weird dudes that cross dress in the first movie, you know that one with the eyeball that he keeps losing and his friend: Sakon and Ukon

Dude I know I'm forgetting a ton of people, but you'll find out later! Anyway, it's A partnership with Insanity rise, so the first part s going to be posted on her user, and I get the second one and so on, hope you like the idea! That's why I won't have much progress down on any of my other stories in the up coming days! There will be a few characters all our own and we're gonna mess with pretty much everything so it should be quite the ride and its also really different from what I normally write. I've never written anything about pirate ships or sword fights before, so wish me luck! I LOVED PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN TWO! IT WAS AWESOME!

Annie: SPINACH I COMMAND YOU TO DANCE! DANCE! AND REVIEW!


	4. A dreary morning

**Annie: Hiya peoples! I know I'm gonna get killed for typing on this and not continuing on Naruto 2, but who cares. I was listening to the new Evanescence song 'call me when you're sober" and I love it so much so If anybody might know where I can find the MP3 you must tell me! But now I will be happy if you just read and review this chapter. Sorry if this story is getting off kinda slow but it will get better! Me and Insanity rise are trying to do the 100 themes list, which means we each get to draw 100 pictures, her theme is one of her wolf stories while mine is Naruto 2, so I wish you could see them but alas, you cannot. Anyway, that's why I won't have much progress this week! **

**Chapter four**

_There is no turning back now  
You've woken up the demon in me_

"Kabuto?" Orochimaru snapped impatiently as he shook the sleepy figure of his apprentice. Kabuto had fallen asleep at his desk, papers still strung out everywhere. The black haired stared angrily down at his drowsy apprentice, his yellow eyes looking very annoyed and irritated. Kabuto slowly yawned and sat up, taking in his surroundings with drooping eyes. He could barely remember what had happened last night, a dark cloud flowing over his mind, creating nothing but a misty haze inside his mind.

He yawned and sat up, looking down at his papers and sighing.

"I must have dozed off last night," he yawned and sat up, shaking the feelings of sleep from his head and doing his best to get fully awake, but he hadn't gotten enough sleep to feel fully refreshed. Orochimaru stared at him, waiting for him to acknowledge his own presence.

"What happened to Dosu?" He barked suddenly, the anger in his tone sending chills down Kabuto's spine when he remembered how he'd just left Dosu in his room last night instead of trying to help him.

"I don't know, I think he must have caught something, no big deal," he said with no concern at all, too tired to really care about anyone else right now.

"Uh ha, well let me show you what No big deal looks like!" Kabuto let out a squeak of surprise as Orochimaru grabbed his arm and drug hi out the door, his eyes a light with a sudden anger that Kabuto hadn't noticed before. Kabuto didn't say anything, instead he just sighed with dread and walked next to his master, hoping that whatever had happened, he wasn't being blamed for it. He had no idea that Dosu's little sickness could be serious and now he was cursing himself for making such a fool of himself and ignoring those around him like he had last night.

As the walked he noticed something different about the hallways around him, they seemed strange and frightening some how, a new stench creeping around them. It almost smelled like death, the rancid stench of sickness floating around in the air so much that he wanted to gag. Everything looked dangerous and unfriendly, the stench making the air heavy and almost hard to breathe in.

Suddenly, the most grueling scene hit his eyes, one that he would have never expected on such a peaceful looking morning and he dreaded what was about to happen to all of them. Orochimaru drug him into the doorway of Dosu's bedroom, the main source of the terrible smell tainting the air around them. Kin and Zaku gave him concerned looks as he entered the room, forcibly making Kabuto watch the unfolding scene.

Dosu was lying on his bed, his eyes open wide, sweat soaking into his bed sheets as he stared up at the ceiling, his lower lip quivering. A small whimper escaped him, his entire body trembling with pain as though some invisible enemy was striking it. For moments, Kabuto only stood there next to Orochimaru, staring at Dosu with pity and curiosity. So this strange disease was worse than he thought? He found it almost amusing that something he thought was so insignificant was now plaguing him and the ones around him. Inside, the entire room felt very and dry, the humid air making Kabuto feel even worse as he walked over to were Dosu lay, wondering what could be causing him to be in so much pain.

"Dosu," Kabuto asked the shivering boy," How long have you been like this?" Dosu gulped down a lump in his throat and closed his eyes. He'd praying no one would answer that question, fearing the only answer he could give was a lie. If he was tell them how long he'd been hiding something like this, they might just grab a knife and kill him out of their own anger and knowing Kabuto, he'd enjoy watching him die. In addition, he knew that even through his closed eyes, he could see Kabuto smiling evilly, probably more than ready to let him die, but for once he was mistaken.

"Dosu!" Kabuto snapped, his voice getting an angry tone to it, making the sound nin jump slightly, chills running up his spine. He shut his mouth tight, feeling his teeth pressed together, no answer escaping his mouth, he was completely ignoring Kabuto's commands.

"Dosu! ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Kabuto barked again, making Dosu only feel worse.

"About three weeks," he squeaked, unable to believe that the voice was his as he told them the answer. He sounded terribly hoarse, the sickness making him feel dead from the inside out. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to take this, the hurt inside him too hard to bear. Kabuto just let out a heaved sigh, glaring back at the ninja in the doorway. He was about to ask Orochimaru what he expected him to do when he heard a pitiful squeak come from the boy he'd turned his back to. Dosu cried out as his vision began to swirl, colors playing around him so much that it made him feel like he was spinning, and then it all went black.

"KIN!" Orochimaru snapped, slinking down into his chair, memories of what happened earlier when he'd woke up this morning still troubling him a great deal. He had no idea what he was going to do with Dosu, but whatever it was he was going to act fast or else he might die and he couldn't afford to lose any of his precious pawns, not yet anyway. The black haired girl jumped up with surprise as she heard her name called, her masters dark voice sending chills down her spine as she hurried over to the kitchen table were he sat.

"Yes Orochimaru?" she asked, slightly annoyed that he was asking her for help at a time like this. She was still tired from her restless sleep last night and eager to get this day over with. Ever since this morning everyone had been feeling useless, Zaku had slept for hours after lunch and Kabuto had locked himself up in his room, busy doing paper work.

"I have a task for you…" Orochimaru hissed, his voice trailing off as he became lost in his own thoughts again, giving Kin a dazed glare and shaking his head, sending the thoughts back to rot in his mind with out thought. Kin only rolled her eyes.

"What?" She asked impatiently, more than ready to get away from his glare.

"I need you to go to town for me…" he said slowly, his eyes staring down at the ground," and figure out if any strange illnesses have been floating around…"


	5. Sic

**Annie: Hello fellow readers( since I always say Hiya peoples, I decided to try something new, go me!) any way, here's my lovely next chapter. Things are finally starting to speed up a little bit and sorry if Kin seems out of character in this chapter! It isn't my fault well maybe it is but forget I even said that please. So here it is and please review, thanks to the people who are reviewing! This chapter is dedicated to Emptycocacolacan, because in her last author note(made yesterday) she said she was sick and that just sucks, so hope you feel better so you can keep writing on your stories! **

**Chapter five **

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness_

Kin sighed with dismay as she crept through the dark woods leading to Otowagakure. She didn't know why, but a sudden feeling of dread had come over her, as if when she got there, she wouldn't like what she saw. That only made her feel worse as she trudged through the deep mud around her, mumbling angry words to herself as the wet dirt began to change her shoe's into a different color, the uncomfortable feeling of mud between her toes greeting her as she walked on. Her little skip looked odd because of the thick mud, it was hard for her to take each foot out every time she took a step and because of this, she nearly fell forward each time, expecting to be able to take the next step but the mud holding her in position.

Silently, she cursed the cold world around her, gripping the small jacket covering her shivering figure tight and hoping that this wouldn't take long. When she got back she was going to to make a cup of coffee and then take a nice warm shower, then she could forget about this whole thing. Just the thought of being back inside where it was nice and warm made her feel a little better as she finally reached the gates of the sound village, but as she walked, the familiar feeling of panic gripped unto her again and this time she couldn't shake it off. She gulped down a lump in her throat as she approached the gates, wondering silently if she dared open those doors, if maybe she should just turn back now. However, her curiosity was much too powerful to keep her from discovering what was behind those doors; moreover, she knew Orochimaru would kill her if she came back without any information.

Shaking her head and sighing again, she pushed the huge doors open to reveal the horrifying sight in front of her. Her feelings of alarm had not been false, for it was obvious to tell that something was wrong and the second Kin entered the village, she choked, a surprised squeak erupting from her throat. The village was filled up with people, most were cowering corners while some ran around the town in a frenzy. Everything looked terrible and the minute Kin stepped in the same rancid stench she'd smelled in Dosu's bedroom this morning hit her again, except this time, it was ten times worse, so grueling that she felt near gagging. Holding her breath, she took a few steps forward, taking in her surroundings. All around her she could hear the sounds of crying people and shouts, she could see many people being led away by figures that looked to be members of the black ops, but what where they doing here?

Shyly, she approached one of the shouting men in costume and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me sir," she asked in a quiet voice, nearly choking on her words as the man turned around to face her," what is going on here!" He gave her a funny look, though it was shielded through his painted mask.

"Don't you know!" he barked," Konoha and Otowagakure are being quarantined, a strange new sickness has struck both villages and we have no idea how to stop it. The towns are being put under quarantine until we can figure out what to do, to prevent this from getting any farther on the map." With those words, he turned back around and began shouting some words to another man nearby. Kin just stood in the mud, a dazed expression on her face. This was all coming in to fast, every answer suddenly hitting her like an enormous blow. She was oblivious to the many cries and shouts surrounding her, ignoring them completely. Shaking those thoughts from hr head, she regained her wits and called out to the man again.

"Why wasn't Orochimaru told of these events!" she barked, her voice filled with anger, sudden sparks lighting a fire inside her as she glared at the man with her small eyes.

"We don't know where he is," the man sighed with dismay, reminding Kin of Orochimaru's secret lair, no one else knew about it and they hadn't been to town for nearly two weeks. However, it still astounded hr that all this could slip through their fingers unnoticed.

"Now girl, you should go join the rest of the villagers at the quarantine centers In the middle of town, I'll take you there myself." The man growled and suddenly grabbed her arm. Kin let out a squeal of surprise as he began dragging her forward, her arm caught in a rough grasp that she could not escape.

"LET ME GO!" she barked angrily, kicking the man in the shin. He let out a howler of pain and automatically let go of the smirking girl. Kin didn't waste a second, the moment she was free from his grasp, she ran! Anger shouts exploded behind her as she stumbled forward, her feet hitting the ground hard as she ran through the crowded streets, she heart pounding in her chest as she ran for her life!

"GET THAT GIRL!" she could hear the man screaming behind her, his voice fading as she thrust herself forward, the gates coming into view as she begged she'd be able to reach them in time. This was all just too much for her, the stench that clung to this place smelt worse than death and all the shouts and cries gave her a big enough head ache to make her head spin. She had to get away and even after she reached the gates, she refused to stop, continuing her petrified run as she ran into the dark forest.

0000

"OROCHIMARU!" Kin screamed as she fell into the room, the door slamming as it hit the wall behind her. She immediately collapsed on the floor, the color completely drained form her face as she took in deep breaths, her heart still pounding. As if on cue, Orochimaru and Zaku quickly ran into the hallway, wondering what on earth had made her look so horrified. At first, Kin didn't speak, still hardly able to believe that such a terrible thing had happened only moments ago.

"What's wrong Kin?" Zaku asked impatiently staring at the sputtering girl with annoyed eyes.

"Spit it out!" Orochimaru snapped, making her jump back into the real world, her head suddenly cleared of the alarm that had plagued her ever since she had entered that village. She stood up, shaking her head and then suddenly crying it all out at once.

"When I went to the village," she wailed," I found out that there was some kind of disease running around and that the black ops members were quarantining Konoha and the sound village! I barely got away! OH WHAT ARE WE TO DO!" Her entire body shook violently as she told them the whole terrible story, never leaving out the smallest detail as they began to feel the same horror rising in themselves.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Orochimaru growled, his voice shaking with anger as he gritted his teeth down, his hands twisting into fists," they never told me a thing! How!" he suddenly screamed with rage, kicking the wall and letting out a shriek of rage before disappearing down the dark hallway leaving Kin and Zaku to stare dumbly at the ground.

"What are we going to do?" Zaku asked his teammate, practically begging for an answer.

"I don't know," Kin sighed with dismay, normally she was the one who always knew how to answer that question, but right now, she was all out of solutions…

---

Annie: (screams with frustration) how come my lines don't come up anymore! GRR! How will people know when the story switches scenes!

Dosu: (Cough) are you gonna make me get better in the story?

Annie: (glares at boy in big fluffy rain poncho evilly) **I'LL MAKE MUTATED BUNNIES EAT OFF YOUR TOES AND FLUSH YOUR HEAD DOWN THE TOILET IF YOU DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!**

Dosu: -.0 (begins whimpering in corner)

No, I'm not stressed, not at all…..


	6. Empty handed

**Annie: Heres the next chapter! I know people are going to slaughter me for not writing on my other stories, but I'm having fun writing on this one so that's the important part! The paragraphs in this one are kind of long, but I pray they won't scare you off! Sorry bout that. And Kabuto might seem a bit out of character but he's petrified so bear with me people. **

**Chapter six**

_Open up your hate, and let it flow into me  
Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
_

"So what are we going to do about Dosu?" Kin asked Zaku as they trekked down the dark, cold hallways, headed to Dosu's room to see how he was doing. She was still so shook up from what happened earlier that her voice still sounded shakily, the words coming in chokes. Zaku only sighed and hung his head in defeat, having no answer to give her as he stared down at the ground, watching his feet hitting the ground as he walked. He was at a complete loss for words, knowing that no mere sentences could save their teammate. It wasn't like they really cared about Dosu, but they weren't so horrible that it didn't bother them when a person died, and they were certain he was going to die, or at least that's what Kabuto had told them before he locked himself up his room, probably doing more paperwork.

"I just don't get it," Zaku cut off the sudden silence, making Kin give him a puzzled look as she was about to ask what he didn't get, but he finished the sentence before she could jump in," it seems like neither of them really want to help, I mean Kabuto and Orochimaru."

"Who cares about those stuck ups," Kin growled under her breath, the noise coming from her throat mixed with distaste and hate. She too, was beginning to feel annoyed with how little compassion the two seemed to hold towards others. Walking faster, they continued their stroll into the darkness, ignoring the cold chills that ran all over this place.

"We should go check on Dosu," Zaku inquired, receiving a quick nod from Kin as they turned off the main hallway, heading down a much darker one, no candles to light the way as they walked. They were completely silent, neither one talking until they finally reached the door. A small ray of light crept into the hall as Zaku opened it slowly, trembling with fear as the familiar stench flowed into him, sending chills up his spine and making him feel like leaving. Kin, on the other hand, simply pushed past him, jerking her body into the cold room and looking around with concerned eyes. There they found that Dosu was still lying on his bed, but this time his eyes were closed.

Kin let out a small squeak, fearing that he was dead as she hurried to his bedside. She ignored the stench hitting her from all directions as she stared down at his pale figure with sad eyes.

"Is he…?" Zaku asked with dread, his voice trailing off, the words too hard to muster. Suddenly, Dosu's one visible eye jutted open, revealing the red hint plaguing his usually white eye, his face as white as bed sheets. Kin took a step back, awkwardly feeling very afraid of her contaminated teammate.

"I need h-help…" he choked in a raspy voice, his tone sending chills up Kin's spine as she approached him, looking him straight in the eye.

"What should we do?" Zaku pleaded from the doorway, realizing that if they didn't get help for Dosu soon, he'd disappear into the world of darkness forever. Kin was oblivious to his cries, staring down at her wounded teammate, it was unbelievable how weak he looked, like a cornered rabbit, he had given into the pain around him, letting it devour him slowly. These feelings, he was used to, but as the days had began to pass by it had been getting worse, the sickness plaguing him to a point where it was unbearable.

"GO GET KABUTO!" Kin barked, her voice shaking with fear as she glared over at Zaku, eyes silently pleading, her lips quivering. Zaku gave her one last feared filled gaze before stumbling out the door and taking off down the hallway, darkness guiding him as his heart beat fast, silently praying that Kabuto would hold all the answers to their troubles, but he was empty handed.

The light around him was dimming, the candle on his desk barely able to support the growing flame burning on top of its dying figure. Wax poured over the edge of its container, soon it would be dead and his only light source would be gone. However, Kabuto barely noticed as he looked over his lasted addition to his medical files, reading the paper over closely and making sure there were no mistakes. He sighed and put the paper back down on his desk, just as he did so, the candle went out, its flame dying, letting the dark shadows around engulf all that had once been shrouded in light. Kabuto cried out with dismay and sat up, pushing his chair back as he stood up and looked into the darkness around him. Considering he was already so tired, he decided this a good time to just turn in for the night though night had hardly began, the clock next to his bed only reading 9:30. A small yawn escaped him as he opened the door to his bathroom, preparing to get ready so bed as he flicked the light on, the new source killing off some of the darkness in his room.

As he approached the large mirror hanging above his sink he was greeted with a sight that made him feel like gagging, the reflection standing in his place not one that he liked at all. A surprised squeak escaped him as he leaned against the sink, staring into the glass with widening eyes, struggling to support his body from the sudden shock. The person in the mirror did not look like him at all. His eyes were red and bloodshot, red streaks running all around his pupils, his skin looked pale and sickly and his glasses had fallen off when he entered the room, leaving no detail unnoticeable. The skin under his eyes was dark, falling over in tired bags, making his eyes look even more ghostly and sick. He gasped, unable to believe that this was happening to him.

"NO!" He squeaked, falling backwards in a desperate attempt to escape the dead looking reflection, realizing that he was now a victim of the new disease. He cringed with dread, holding his head in his shaking hands and trying his best to take in air, but he felt like he couldn't breathe, the horror of it all leaving him petrified to a point that choked all the air out of him. Letting out a terrified cry, he sunk down to the cold floor, falling against the door, feeling as if he might faint as he reached for a kunai knife out of his pocket. Suddenly the disgusting reflection shattered, glass cascading everywhere in a sparking confetti, sharp tips slicing into the ground and raining down everywhere as the kunai slammed into the wall. Kabuto only cowered on the ground, biting his lower lip until it bled, feeling the bitter taste of blood trickles into his mouth as he trembled furiously, unable to calm down. His heart beat fast, the familiar noise thundering in his ears so much that he felt like his head was going to burst, the stress too over powering to bear. He cried out again, the cause of his pain his own panicking mind as his hands grew limp, falling down at his side as he suddenly fell over, his body hitting the ground, a soft noise sounding as he watched his world go black, the thundering noise slowly fading as shadows crept over his vision.


	7. Last Hope

**Annie: this chapter is long, so hope you enjoy it. I don't have anything interesting to say really except this took me a few hours to actually finish because I kept leaving my laptop to get other things done. Today was a do nothing day, meaning I didn't leave my house all day and stayed in my pjs till 5:00, yep, that's life. All I did was type and draw, and as you can see, the next chapter for Naruto 2 is finally up so go read that too and review it cause so far nobody has. Hope enjoy chapter seven and thanks to everybody who supports me, oh yeah, and please review!**

**Chapter Seven**

_Madness is the gift, that has been given to me_

Zaku crept down the dark hallways, his heart pounding in his chest as he searched out Kabuto's door, trying his best to hurry, finally realizing the direness of the situation as he ran through the shadows, guided blindly by the light of the candles around him. He felt like he was going to be sick and if he hadn't have been so bent on reaching Kabuto's door, he might have just collapsed right now, choking for air, he felt as if he was being strangled. Like alight in the darkness, he reached Kabuto's door, but it puzzled him as soon as he reached the dark wood. Instead of seeing light peeking out from under the door, there was nothing but shadows, surely Kabuto hadn't turned in so early. A small feeling of dread crept over him as he knocked lightly on the door, fearing he wouldn't not receive an answer.

"Kabuto?" he asked, his voice shaking as he knocked again, no reply came except the creaking of the old door as Zaku slowly pushed it open, meeting nothing but dark on the inside, every light burned out.

"Kabuto?" he begged to the darkness, receiving nothing but silence as an answer. This was not helping him calm down at all, every second that rolled by made him feel even worse and he couldn't take anymore of this standing in darkness. Then suddenly, like an answer to his silent prayers, he spotted a small strange of light coming from under Kabuto's bathroom door. Reluctantly, he knocked on the door, but no answer still. He was beginning to get worried, his heart beating into a frenzy as he knocked again, this time it was louder then before.

"KABUTO!" Zaku pleaded, banging on the door as loud as he could, his hands beginning to hurt as he reached out and grabbed the doorknob. He squeezed the doorknob in his hands and pulled it left, expecting it to be locked, but for some reason, it wasn't, he twisted it left and pushed forward, but the door wouldn't budge. There had to b something blocking the door so he couldn't open it, but why and what? Suddenly, he started to realize that this situations were just getting worse as he leaned against the wood, pushing it forward with all his might, hearing the old door creak as it was forced open, but it barely moved, the small crack of light barely changing. Angrily, Zaku cursed to himself and stood back, taking a few deep breaths before charging at the only thing standing between him and help.

"KABUTO!" He cried again, the noise thundering on the other side, but it wasn't enough to wake him from his fainted sleep. Growing more and more desperate, Zaku slammed his entire body against the door! A surprised squeak escaped him as he was suddenly flung forward, the door giving as he fell face-first to the cold floor. It took him a few moments to regain himself, slowly sitting up and pushing himself off the ground when his eyes grew wide, noticing the crimson seeping unto the floor. He felt something sharp under his hands and gasped as he drew them to his face to examine.

Three thin pieces of glass pierced into the skin, showing the reflection of blood as it trickled down his arms. Gritting him teeth, Zaku grabbed the pieces and pulled them out, wincing as pain struck him. He looked around, bewildered, and found that the entire ground was covered in glass, shattered everywhere. He was lucky that it had only hit his hands.

Choking for words, he looked around with fear filled eyes, afraid of what else he might find. Then it hit him, he jumped around, his eyes darting to the door that he had shoved open, and just as he suspected, he found what had kept the door from doing as he begged.

"KABUTO!" He screeched and ran to the fallen man's side," what happened to you!" he asked in vain and realized that he was out cold, shaking the limp body with his bloodied hands. No reply came from Kabuto, his figure looking as bad as Dosu had when they'd went to see him. Zaku shook him again, his attempts to free the medic from his dark prison only efforts made in vain, for Kabuto did not wake up, deaf to his cries.

"Kabuto! We need you help, wake up!" Zaku pleaded, shaking him roughly. Something inside Kabuto must have heard that last request, but for whatever reason, his blood shot eyes suddenly jerked open, making Zaku jump as he met the man's wide eyes. Kabuto coughed, breaking away from Zaku and pushing the boy back into the bed of glass, making him cry out as he was struck in the back by the bloodied pieces. Kabuto hardly noticed, too caught up in his own dilemma to hear Zaku's squeaks of pain as he sat up slowly, trying his best not to hit anymore pieces as he flinched. The pieces cutting into his back stung like needles, pain burning into his body as he tried his best to remain calm, but he wanted more than anything to just run out of here and leave this all behind.

"What do you want!" Kabuto barked, anger taking its toll on him as he glared at Zaku with his red eyes. Those eyes pierced right through Zaku, making him cringe and tremble as he sat on the crimsoned floor.

"It's Dosu," he said shakily, his eyes pinned to Kabutos', unable to break from the angry man's gaze," He h-he needs HELP!"

"Why should I care," Kabuto growled," it's because of him that this has happened to me!" he had no wanting to help Dosu, not now anyway. He knew that the disease was spreading quickly and sooner or later he would have gotten it, but he felt like blaming Dosu on everything, needing some one to take his rage out on.

"Please," Zaku begged, hating how helpless this situation was becoming, in mere seconds, their only chance for help had just shunned them out," we've got to do something or-"

"He'll die!" Kabuto finished, spitting out the words like a bad taste in his mouth. Zaku shook his head unable to believe that he would just leave them like this, pushing them off the road of sanity and sending them hurling into a world of pain and torture, was he too conceited to care about anyone other than himself! Zaku's hands twisted into fists, his own rage beginning to grow, the flames of anger burning up inside him as he glared at Kabuto.

"You can't be that heartless, to just let him die!" Kabuto smirked, answering the question with silent words.

"YOU'RE A MONSTER!" Zaku yelled, his voice shaking form his angered tone, making Kabuto shiver," YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF!"

"Oh shut up already," Kabuto snapped with annoyance," fine…I'll help but what do you intend me to do?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. Another feeling of dread came over Zaku, realizing that they had not yet thought up a plan as he began to search his head in a frenzy, praying something would come out of the dark, and much to his astonishment, he managed to think of something.

"We could," he began, the plan slowly forming in his mind," go to the sound village, Kin said they were setting up quarantine centers there, maybe someone there might be able to help Dosu!" He chimed, happy that he had been able to give Kabuto an answer. However, the medic did not look pleased, instead of agreeing with this new plan, he just lashed out his angry voice, making Zaku feel even worse.

"That's the stupidest idea I have ever heard," Kabuto mocked," don't you know they'd just throw you right into one of those centers the minute you showed up!" A grave look fell over Zaku's face, his expression changing to shame as he stared down at the floor, feeling foolish for even trying.

"Fine," he sighed as he stood up, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes with his bloodied hands and pushing past Kabuto," we'll just have to save him without you." He choked, knowing that without Kabuto's help, Dosu would die before the next day. Something inside Kabuto seemed to scream at him, changing his mind as he watched Zaku sulk over to the door. The man did have some sense of right and wrong, to not have such things would be inhuman and something inside him was telling him that he had given the wrong answer, that maybe this was his to prove he was useful. Shaking his head with disdain, he stood up, his legs feeling sore underneath him, he followed Zaku over to the door, darkness shadowing all around him, only the bathroom light hinting of his glass.

"I'll help," he grunted and pushed past the sound nin, shoving him out of the way of the door as he disappeared down the dark hallway, cursing himself quietly for being so soft. Zaku only smiled and walked after him, his heart singing as he chased after Kabuto. Maybe there was still some hope.


End file.
